11 Items All Serious Photographers Include Among Their Travel Gear

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Nothing’s worse than being hundreds, even thousands, of miles from your home or studio and discovering you didn’t pack an item that is absolutely necessary for your photo shoot. Of course, giving yourself some more planning time is often the best solution, so you can check and double-check what you’ve packed and what you might have missed.

After all, only you know what you will need exactly, depending on the assignment, the location and the logistics; but here is a list of 11 items that is a good starting point and probably should be included every time you travel.

 

 

 

 

  1. Tripod: Gitzo GT3531S Systematic Series 3 6X 3 Section Carbon Fiber Tripod

Keep your professional DSLR and super-telephoto lens steadier and more secure when you use a Gitzo Systematic Series 3 6X 3-Section, Carbon Fiber Tripod. It’s built with new Carbon 6X ALR tubing, for added strength and rigidity in a lightweight tripod. It also has a load capacity of 39.6 lbs. (18kg). The three legs can be placed in three positions independently. Click here for more details!

  1. Ball Head: Manfrotto 468MG Hydrostatic Ball Head

Enhance your creativity of wildlife, sports or action photography with the Manfrotto 468MG Hydrostatic Ball Head. This is a pro-quality head for a pro-quality tripod, since the 468MG is built with a large Teflon-coated aluminum ball. It’s made for rugged, heavy-duty use and works smoothly with as much as 35 lbs. of equipment. Go for Manfrotto’s superior features when you click here.

  1. GPS: Garmin Oregon 450 GPS

Make your trek into the backcountry for rare nature photos much easier with the Garmin Oregon 450 GPS unit. You expended considerable energy to find those perfect shooting locations. Now, let the Oregon 450 record all the data you’ll need to find them again, including altitude and an optional satellite picture feature. Always know where you are and where you’ve been with a Garmin Oregon 450 GPS. Click here for more information.

  1. Case: SKB iSeries 1914 Pro DSLR Case

When you travel with thousands of dollars in cameras, lens and accessories, there is only one standard for the case in which you pack all your gear…military grade…and SKB Cases are designed and built to that high standard. Your equipment will experience an ultra-ride of comfort, security and total protection wherever you travel. The SKB iSeries of cases is waterproof, dustproof, corrosion and impact-resistant, and even includes an automatic ambient pressure equalization valve.

SKB designed the interior of the iSeries 1914 Pro DSLR Case to be highly protective as well as convenient and flexible. There’s room to accommodate two DSLR bodies and the PE foam is adjustable for different types of bodies. Battery grips don’t need to be removed and you can securely store your camera and still have access to the memory card slot. There are also four lens slots three of them adjustable to accommodate a variety of lenses. This case has enough room for a flash, memory cards, batteries and other gear.

With quality, heavy-duty wheels and a sturdy handle, the iSeries 1914 Pro DSLR Case moves through the airport easily and allows you to pull it right to the shoot site. For more details and photos, please click here.

  1. Memory Card: SanDisk Extreme Pro Memory Cards

As a serious photographer, you shoot with serious equipment, which is why you want at least a couple of extra SanDisk Extreme Pro Memory Cards with you whenever you travel. They read as fast as 95MB per second and write at 90MB per second. They are also rated at UHS Speed Class 1 and Class 10 for Full HD and 3D video. Of course, factors, such as your camera model, file size, resolution, compression, bit rate, content, etc., will affect how well the SanDisk Extreme Pro memory cards support video.

Extreme Pro cards are engineered and built for extreme weather and other unknown conditions that you might face. For example, the SanDisk Extreme Pro cards are waterproof. They can be immersed in salt or fresh water for as much as 72 hours and to a depth of a bit more than 3 feet (1 meter). They can also withstand as much as 500Gs of shock and are vibration proof. Of extreme importance to photographers that travel often is that these cards are magnet proof and X-ray proof, protecting them from the scans of security machines at airports.

You’ll find the full complement of SanDisk Extreme Class Memory Cards here.

  1. Filter Kit: Hoya 72mm 3 Digital Filter Set with Pouch

When you’re shooting far from home (and someone is paying you to do so), you must be prepared for all the problems with light that don’t occur until the camera is in your hands. That’s when you’ll be happy you can reach for the pouch that contains the Hoya 72mm 3 Digital Filter Set. The UV filter absorbs ultraviolet rays that would otherwise make images less than their sharpest.

The CPL filter helps you control reflections from water, glass and other non-metallic surfaces. You want to shoot with wider apertures and slower shutter speeds and the ND filter in this Hoya kit helps you do just that by allowing less light to enter the lens/camera. Click here to learn more about this handy Hoya filter kit.

  1. Cleaning Kit: Professional Cleaning Set for DSLR Cameras 

Another unknown that you’ll often confront when traveling is the cleanliness of the places you’ll be shooting with your camera. Who know whether your shooting environment will be dusty, dirty, outdoors or in the weather? You better be packing a professional cleaning set, so you’re able to clean your camera if conditions require it.

A good selection of items in a DSLR cleaning kit is an all-natural lens cleaner that is safe for all optical and coated lenses; microfiber cleaning cloths that are so superfine, they never cause scratches, streaks or marks; lens cleaning pen/brush to dust off particles and debris; air blower cleaner that removes dust without touching sensitive surfaces; and a general cleaning brush for cameras, lens, accessories, etc. Click here for more details about what items you need in a DSLR cleaning kit.

  1. Camera Cover: Vortex Media Pro Storm Jacket Cover

You can save yourself plenty of time and maybe even a downed camera and repair bill in the middle of a shoot when you take a camera cover with you. On occasion, you may need a heavy-duty cover that costs hundreds of dollars, but those are rare. Vortex Media designed its Pro Storm Jacket Cover to be very easy to use…just 5 seconds to cover or uncover… very lightweight…only 2 to 5 ounces…and small enough to fit in your pocket.

Most likely, the medium size will work best for you, as it accommodates a DSLR with as much as a 300–400mm f/2.8 lens. For more about this great weather protection system for your camera, click here.

  1. Camera Harness: The Cotton Carrier 122 CPF Camera System Pro-Pac

Don’t you just hate the neck strap on your camera and how it causes neck and shoulder strain after a long day of shooting? Wouldn’t you rather feel refreshed and full of energy, so you’re able to shoot throughout the day and into the night, and stay focused on creativity (plus have a little reserve for some fun)? That’s why serious photographers who travel often make sure they’ve packed a camera harness system, such as the Cotton Carrier 122 CPF Camera System Pro-Pac.

It is a very convenient camera vest that is belted around the waist and over the shoulders. A full-frame DSLR is mounted at chest height with a secure locking mechanism that can be released instantly. A second DSLR (less than full-frame) is carried in a side holster, which either attaches to the vest or the lens bag system. Your tools are immediately accessible, but your hands remain free until you’re ready to shoot. Click here to learn more about this essential item for every photographer who travels.

  1. Flash: Nikon SB-900 AF Speedlight

You must travel light, but you must also travel with light…a flash light source. Pack your equipment in the SKB iSeries 1914 Pro DSLR Case and you’ll find dedicated space for a pro-quality strobe, such as the Nikon SB-910 AF Speedlight Flash. It delivers the lighting versatility and power you need as a serious photographer. Use the SB-910 as a hot-shoe mounted Speedlight or a remote unit or wireless Commander. You can control three remote groups with an unlimited number of compatible Speedlights. For more “illuminating” information about the Nikon SB-910, please click here.

  1. Meter: Sekonic Digital Master 758DR Flash/Ambient Meter

Wherever your photography travels take you, you will always be working with, fighting against, cajoling and pleading with light. Of course, without it there is no photography and no challenges for serious photographers. All the more reason you must always include a separate light meter with you whenever you travel. The Sekonic Digital Master 758DR Flash/Ambient Meter is an excellent choice because as the people at Sekonic said, “It’s the only meter that can be calibrated to read light the way your particular camera system reads light.”

You’re traveling to shoot images that must be precisely exposed; and having a meter that sees the light like your camera ups the odds you’ll take home the photos you envisioned. Learn more about the Sekonic Digital Master 758DR Flash/Ambient Meter when you click here.

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